Tales Of Chicken And Woe
by TimTrainsDragons
Summary: (Don't judge a story by it's title!)(Sequel to Spit it Out) Mira is moving in with her aunt and cousins. When she gets there she meets Ponyboy. Mira and Ponyboy get off on the wrong foot. Yet, they may manage to get past their first impressions of one another and become good friends, but what other challenges will get in their way? Rephrase: Who will get in the their way?
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is, the sequel to Spit It Out! I guess I have a thing for weird titles, but the titles I think of make sense once you read the story! Same goes to this one, The chicken will make sense by the next chapter, but enough if this, here's chapter one of Tales of Chicken and Woe!**

Keith Mathews is dead meat. I swear I'm gonna kill him. I used to live in California, but I was moving in with my cousins, Keith and Emma, and my Aunt Shirley. I was moving in with them because my parents recently passed, but that doesn't change the fact that I can throw down when I want to. It's November 28, 1967, and I just turned fifteen on the twenty fourth. Keith is nineteen, but I'm pretty sure I can kick his rear with my eyes closed.

Anyway, I'm going to kill him because my plane landed an hour ago and I've been sitting on a bench outside the airport with my bags ever since. Keith was the one who was supposed to pick me up. Living in California, I never had a heavy winter coat like I would need here in Oklahoma, so I've also been sitting in the cold for an hour.

A car pulled up and a teen with rust colored hair and a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt peeking out from under his unzipped coat got out. Speak of the devil, I thought. He waved sheepishly at me with a guilty grin. I shouted,"Keith Mathews! Prepare to die!"

I sprinted towards him and punched and kicked him repeatedly."How. Could. You. Leave. Me. Here. For. An. Hour?" I yelled at him between punches.

"I'm-Ow!-Sorry!" He insisted.

A kid about my age with reddish hair and green eyes got out of Keith's car and said,"Leave him alone, Bounty Hunter," he told me."It's my fault he's late. I asked him to pick me up from track practice."

I looked at him."Oh, it's your fault? Well, in that case..." I said as I pounded my fist into my palm and took a menacing step towards him.

"Mira," Keith said to me in a warning tone as he picked up my bags from where I'd left them, on the bench."People are starting to stare. You can beat Ponyboy up in the car. And don't call me Keith. It's Two-Bit nowadays."

I looked at the other guy,"Ponyboy?" He nodded."You're awesome name just saved you from a severe beat down," I said. I got in the car with this Ponyboy fellow.

Keith, or Two-Bit, took me to my new home after dropping Ponyboy off at his house. The first thing I did was unpack my things. I was sharing a room with Emma. She was eight. When I finished, I collapsed on my bed, ready to just go to bed. I thought about my parents and would've probably started crying if Two-Bit hadn't showed up.

Two-Bit waltzed right into the room pulled me off the bed. I groaned and looked up at him from where I was now laying on the floor."What was that for?" I inquired.

"It's time for dinner," he said with a grin. I just stared at him like he was insane, because I'm pretty sure he is.

"Am I allowed to use the phone?" I asked Aunt Shirley.

"Of course, dear," she replied."Who are you gonna call?"

"Just my friend," I said."My best friend, actually. She's a few years older then me, but we have so much in common it was impossible to not become friends."

"Does she live in California?"

"She moved there a few years ago, but then she moved away last year. I haven't seen her since."

"Well at least you have your number."

"Yeah," I said as I dialed her number. It only took a moment for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" The person on the other end said.

"Hey, Ana," I said into the other end.

"Mira? Is that you? You haven't called me in nearly a month! I was convinced you fell off the face of the earth!" My eccentric best friend, Ana, exclaimed.

"Good guess, you were close. My parents were the ones that fell off the face of the earth..." I proceeded to tell her about my parents dying and moving in with my cousins.

"Mira, I'm so sorry. I wish that I'd been there for you," Ana said."Where do you live now?"

"Uh... Tulsa, Oklahoma," I said.

"Hey Dummy, do you remember where I live now?" Ana said harshly into the phone. This is how we are, we have the love-hate relationship, not the identical twin kind.

"I don't know!" I said."Some small town in the middle of nowhere?"

"Wrong! I live in Tulsa, too!"

I gave a small squeal of joy."Oh! This is great! I have to see you! We can meet up tomorrow!"

"I don't think so, Little One," Two-Bit came up behind me."Ma says you need to catch up on your school stuff tomorrow. Maybe some other time you can reunite with your long lost best friend."

I glared at him and growled,"Fine!" He walked away. Then, into the phone, I said,"Did you hear all that?"

"Yeah, don't worry I understand. I had plans tomorrow anyway. But don't worry, I would've canceled if it meant seeing you."

"I know that voice, Ana Ereth," I said."These mysterious plans involve the boyfriend you refuse tell me his name! Who is he?" She had a boyfriend, but never tells me his name or anything! I just know that he exists.

"I'll tell you when I see you." She then went on to tell me where to meet her the day after next before saying good bye. Maybe life in Tulsa won't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay... I had this dream that was Outsiders related (I get those a lot.). What happened in it was I was walking home from school, but I was dressed like a greaser (Which wasn't weird, I do that all the time. Is that weird?). I turned around and saw a soc following me, and then I wave, just to be friendly. Then I turn onto my street and there are two more socs waiting for me! They run at me and pull out blades and I start to fight them best I could. They called me something, I believe it was,"You're such a girl!" Then I shout at the top of my lungs,"I AM A FILTHY GREASER!" Then I sing the sing the gang sang when they were going to rumble. The socs sing the part from the West Side Story song: Officer Krupke that goes like,"You're no good! You're no good! You're no good!" They were doing the choreography and everything! They come at me with the blades again, but this time I run into my house. Then I realize,"Hey! They stole my backpack!" So I go back outside and ask to have it back. One spits at me so I kick him in the shin, take my backpack, and go back inside. When I woke up, I was legitimately convinced that all actually happened for ten minutes, maybe more, and then I realized it was a dream.**

 **What do you think that dream means? My one complaint about was that the gang didn't come to save me, not that I needed saving, I mean, the dream version of me totally kicked butt!**

 **Anyway, here's chapter 2!**

"Where are we going?" I asked Two-Bit as he was nearly dragging me out of the house by the wrist.

"I know the greatest person to help you catch up with school, he was put up a year just like you," he said.

"Who?" I asked, but he ignored me.

He dragged me to a house. He marched right up the front steps like he owned the place and then just walked in without knocking. He still hadn't let go of my wrist."You're lives just got better!" He declared."I'm here!"

"Define: "Better"," someone shouted back from the kitchen.

Two-Bit jogged into the kitchen, tugging me behind him. When we entered he smiled cheekily and said,"Guys, this the cousin I was telling you about. Mira these are my friends: Steve, and the Curtis Brothers are: Darry, Sodapop, and... Ponyboy should be around here somewhere." He pointed to each of his friends in turn.

I smiled warmly towards them then swatted Two-Bit's hand away because it was getting a little uncomfortable. He finally let go.

"Hey, the Bounty Hunter's here!" Ponyboy jeered as he came in and sat at the table to eat some breakfast.

"Good to see you, too," I mumbled shyly. I was regretting ever threatening him, but I'd been out in the freezing cold for an hour and I was also a little jet lagged and you know, my parents...

"Great! The kid's here!" Two-Bit said."Pony? You remember that favor I asked you for yesterday?"

"Tutoring your cousin? Yeah, whenever I'm needed," he said.

"Not "Tutoring"," I corrected him."Your job is to help me catch up. I would think the California curriculum might be at least a little different." He already thinks I'm a jerk, I don't need him thinking I'm stupid.

He just shrugged."No matter how much time he spends with you and how mouthy he gets, Two-Bit," Steve observed."He's still a quiet one."

"C'mon, Mira," Ponyboy said as he got up from the table."My books are in my room."

"Wow," I said sarcastically as I followed him down the hall."You used my name. I thought I was "Bounty Hunter"?"

"You're both," he replied simply. Maybe he doesn't hate me.

I was sitting in a chair at Ponyboy's desk. I was reading over some of his notes while he read a book, completely lost in his own little world. He said it shouldn't be too different from my old school, to read over his stuff, and just ask him if I don't understand something.

He laughed a little. I looked at the cover of his book,"Mary Poppins". Now it makes sense why he's laughing, I thought. I was in no mood for school stuff. All I could think of was Ana and this mysterious boy she'd mentioned and how the heck did I not realize we were living in the same town? She only told me she lived in Tulsa about every other time I talked to her over the phone. Anyway, I was done with notes. As soon as I finished them all, I tossed them onto the desk with a "Samck!" Yet, Ponyboy still didn't look up.

I looked around. There was a book on the desk and I picked it up. It was a copy of "Gone With The Wind". I leafed through it, I loved to read, but I didn't really want to read it. I wondered what it was about. It fell open to a folded piece of paper tucked into a page with the word "Gallant" underlined in pencil. I pulled it out and read what was written on it. It wasn't written by Ponyboy, I would've recognized his handwriting because of all the notes I'd just read, but this was different.

What is this? I wondered in my head. Who's Dally? Who's Johnny? What's this poem? Gold? Wait! Poem about gold... The paper was snatched away from me along with the book.

Ponyboy was clearly seething mad."What were you doing?" He asked me. At least he's talking to me, I thought.

"I'm sorry," I said."I just saw the book there and I'd never read it before and I saw the paper and I thought it was just a paper scrap being used as a book mark so I-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He snapped."You just kept reading! No one else has ever read that note!" He placed the book in the exact place it was before I picked it up. Then he turned around and started to stomp out of the room. Poem about gold...

"Nature's first green is gold!" I shouted at him. He turned and looked at me quizzically."Her hardest hue to hold!"

"Her early leaves a flower! But only so an hour!" I stopped shouting."Then leaf subsides to leaf-"

"So Edin sank to grief," Ponyboy continued for me.

Together, we finished the poem,"Now dawn turns down to day. Nothing gold can stay."

There was a moment of silence."I'm sorry I read that note," I said.

"It's fine," he insisted."I guess I freaked out a little, huh?"

I snickered."A little?" He laughed a little."You want to talk about it?" I asked.

"Not about this... Not with you...You can talk to Two-Bit about what happened... But yeah, I think I'd like to talk to you about something, but I don't know what."

"So he just came up to you and started to fight you? And then you hot wired a car?" I asked in astonishment.

"Yeah," he laughed at my reaction to his story.

"Your school dances are SO much better then mine!" I shouted. He just laughed."What about Cathy?" I asked.

"What about her?" He asked, turning red and staring at the floor.

"You like her!" I sing-songed.

"Do not!" He cried indignantly.

"Do too! You're gonna call her!" I said. I got up and dragged him to the living room where the phone is. Hey, maybe Two-Bit and I are related.

I forced him into the arm chair."If you don't ask her out soon, then this Bryon guy you mentioned will get her first." I handed him the phone. He tried to hand it back and I just shoved towards him."Call her, you chicken!" Hey, now I have a nickname for him! I leaned down so that our eyes were only a few inches apart. I told him,"We both know I'm not going anywhere until you call her."

He sighed and dialed the number. He talked into the phone,"Hello? Oh, hi, M&M. Is Cathy there? Can you put her on please?... Hey Cathy... Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you were doing anything next Friday?... Oh, okay. Maybe next time... No, I completely understand... I'll see you around sometime... Bye." He hung up and looked at me."You can get out of my face now."

I sat on the floor by his feet."She said "No"?" I guessed.

He was rubbing his temple."No. She just said she had plans." He shrugged.

"Bryon," I growled under my breath.

"Easy there, Bounty Hunter," Ponyboy said to me as if I were some sort of animal."Cathy never mentioned him asking her first."

"He doesn't have to ask her first!" I said. Boys just don't get it."The way it works is that girls will like a guy and only that guy and refuse any other boy that comes along because they're too faithful to their imaginary boyfriends, get it?"

He just rolled his eyes, probably thinking about how insane girls are."You know, you and Two-Bit look a little alike," he said out of the blue.

"How so?" I asked.

"You're hair's the same color. Your skin and eyes are the same too,"he explained.

"I never dally thought about it, does it matter if we look alike or not?" I asked.

"It doesn't really, I just thought you'd look more like Emma," he shrugged.

"Blonde, blue eyed, and cute?" I posed and batted my eyes to make my point.

"Yeah... But all three of you are a hoard of demons," he tells me.

"Oh, you're too kind!" I tease him. At least now I have a new friend, I thought. I have someone to talk to and laugh with and make fun of. If only Ana was buddies with these five guys I met. If only she knew who these people were. That way, it could be me and her plus all of them. That would be great: One giant group of friends.


	3. Chapter 3

That night I asked Two-Bit about Johnny and Dally, and I didn't know what to say. I just decided to not talk or think much about Ponyboy's passed best friends.

On the bright side, I got to meet up with Ana. As soon as I could, I was jogging to town, to the music store to be exact. Ana and I were both crazy about music. I was a Beatles girl and she liked Elvis, but anything that sounded good we would rock out to. I played guitar and sang, and Ana... She just did whatever she felt like. She's always herself and no one else. Ana will dance if she wants to or sing if she knows the words, but if possible, she prefers to do both.

I nearly broke the door (And myself.) trying to get inside. It was one of those awkward moments when you sprint towards the door to push it open, but it turns out to be a "Pull" door. I ran straight into it so hard that almost broke my nose. I can't be the only one who does that! A person browsing the store looked at me funny. I said quickly,"I meant to do that!"

I snuck through the aisles of records and instruments, hoping to sneak up behind Ana and freak her out. I wasn't that lucky. I was looking around the corner of a shelf when I was tackled from behind in an enormous bear hug. I fell to the floor with a yell and knew exactly who was currently killing me.

"It's you! It's you! It's really you!" The person, Ana, kept saying. Then, under her breath she said,"I swear, if you're just some stranger..."

Ana finally let go so we could stand up. This time I grabbed her, mocking her,"It's me! It's me! It's really me!"

"I know!" She shouted. That was when the pointless chatter started. You know, when you just talk about whatever to fill up space and to cover up your excitement.

"Main point," I said later."Who is this guy you like?"

"Not telling!" Ana said playfully."Right now, you're my main focus."

"And you're mine," I said."And that includes your love life! TELL ME!"

"NO!"

"Hey," someone said. It was a rough looking guy, obviously a wealthier kid."You can only stay if you're into music. Which I doubt you are."

That did it."Ana," I said."This guy doesn't think we like music. Shall we prove him wrong?"

"We shall," she said with a devious grin. She picked up a nearby guitar and handed it to me. Then whispered a song for me to play. I nodded. Believe me, we proved him wrong.

A small crowd of people that had been in the shop gathered around to watch us perform. We hardly noticed, we were having too much fun showing this guy who's boss. After that, an old man came up to us.

"Why didn't you tell me you could sing, gal?" He asked Ana.

"It just never came up," she answered, turning a little red. She was a little shy about her singing. She has never performed in front of crowd before. If people were around, Ana would normally just listen to me sing."By the way, Chet, this is my best friend Mira. Mira , this is my friend Chet."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Pleasure's all mine," he insisted."You have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. I happen to own this store and I think that if you two angels hang around here a lot, you might attract some customers, yes? I insist on paying you, of course, if you're interested, that is."

"Yes!" We both said hurriedly.

"Well then, we might also have you clean this place up too," he continued.

"Chet, you know I would do that even without pay. You know that I owe you a lot," Ana told him.

"How is the young scoundrel, anyway?" He asked. He must be talking about Ana's mystery boy!

"He's doing good," Ana said.

"Tell him I said hi. You two can start working whenever, just get out in the sun and fresh air for the rest of the day, alright?"

"Yes sir!" Ana literally saluted the man and marched me out.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"That was Chet. You know how I was on the hospital last year? So was "Him" and Chet. Chet was the one who pushed "Him" and me together."

"Oh yeah, now I remember," I said."That was the famous Chet? When do I meet the famous "Him"?"

Just then, Two-Bit walked up to us."Hey Cous'!" He greeted me. Then he saw Ana."Hello, Ana."

"Hey Two-Bit," Ana replied.

"You guys no each other?" I asked in shock. They nodded and then I got an idea."Hey, Two-Bit? Could you tell me who Ana's boyfriend is?"

Ana shouted "No!" at the same time he said "Yes!".

"He works at the DX station," Two-Bit told me. Then he rejoined the girl he'd been talking to before coming over to us. I looked at Ana with a devilish grin and then took off running towards the DX. Ana chased me, shouting at me to slow down.

I stopped on the sidewalk in front of the DX. There was a hoard of girls surrounding some poor employee. Ana finally managed to catch up."Is that him?" I asked, pointing to the guy up to his neck in girls. Ana nodded, still trying to catch her breath."He's cheating on you," I said simply.

"What? No, he's not," Ana said, confused.

"Then how do you explain all those girls, huh?" I pointed to them.

Ana laughed."It's always been like that since before we got together. It's just to attract business for the DX. He's just being polite so that he doesn't get fired."

"Don't doubt that I'm not about to go give him a piece of my mind!" I told her. No one messes with my best friend. I started to march towards him.

"Mira!" Ana yelled at me. She grabbed me from behind to restrain me. I laughed. Nothing can stop me.

I managed to pull away, cackling. Ana groaned in annoyance mumbled,"Don't make me do it," and then lunged at me, knocking me off my feet. I landed in the grass with a yelp. I attempted to get up but changed my mind and instead of that, I grabbed Ana's hand and pulled her down with me. Now we were both laying in the grass, laughing our heads off."What's the matter with us?" Ana asked.

"That's what everyone wants to know," someone said above us.

"Hello!" Ana said happily to "Him". And, get this, "Him" was Sodapop Curtis.

"Oh! Of course your dating Sodapop!" I said realization."He's the friend you talked about in California! How could I forget a name like that?"

Soda helped both of us up and said to Ana,"You talked about me?"

"A few times," she said.

"Hey Sodapop. Did Pony tell you about Cathy?" I asked.

"Yeah, he did," he replied."He also said you made him ask her out and tortured him out of his mind."

"Nice," Ana hissed to me and we fist pumped.

"Mira actually helped Pony, I think. Without her push he would've never been brave enough to ask Cathy out. Now, it was fun talking, but I gotta get back to work," Sodapop said."See you later Ana?"

"Yeah," Ana nodded vigorously. Sodapop took one last look at Ana before walking away with the world's biggest smile on his face.

Ana glared at me."Okay, okay," I said with my hands held up in surrender."So he's not cheating on you, but that was a lot of fun!"

Ana just laughed."Come on, let's go!"


	4. Chapter 4

"First day at a new school, how ya feeling?" Two-Bit asked me.

"Like I just woke up from a dream just in time to go through a nightmare," I replied.

"Oh, okay then!" Two-Bit said cheerfully."Basically," he continued, getting a little more serious. And by serious, I mean that he wasn't giggling or making jokes, he was just talking. If you know him, then you know that him just talking is rare."We walk to school with Ponyboy and Steve, we'll drive if the weather's bad. When we get there you'll go to the office and then the pressure of being in charge of you is taken from me and given to the school for eight hours." Never mind, he's still joking around.

"How are you still in high school?" I asked."You're nineteen for crying out loud!"

"I don't study, I don't pay attention, and I don't care. I just show up and that's all I do at school," he shrugged."Hey! Here they come!" He waved at Steve and Ponyboy, who were walking towards us. Steve fell in step with Two-Bit and Ponyboy straggled behind them with me.

"Hey, Chicken!" I said gleefully.

"G'morning, Bounty Hunter!" He said, mimicking me. He and I had become good friends. I don't know how that happened since the first time I spoke to him was to threaten to him.

"You say you're a fast runner?" I asked him.

"Yeah, why?" He replied.

"I'm faster."

"Are not!" He cried childishly.(He and I act like little kids to annoy one another. It never works, but we still do so.)

"Are too!" I fired back.

"Are not!"

"I can prove it! I'll race you to school! 3, 2, 1... Go!" I didn't wait to see his reaction or for him to say anything. I just ran like the wind to kick this Chicken's tail feathers.

I won. That means I get to hold that over Ponyboy's head for the rest of both our lives. I looked over my schedule, I'd already memorized Pony's so that I'd know if any of my classes were with him. The result was just science and lunch with him, but I'll take what I can get.

"Class, we have a new student," the science teacher said as I stood next to him later that morning."This is Mira." Some people nodded towards me and others waved but the majority just ignored me. Ponyboy had his nose in a book and the classroom could burst into flames and he wouldn't notice."Why don't you sit next to Mr. Curtis?"

"My pleasure," I grinned evilly.

I sat next to Ponyboy and ripped a piece of paper out from my notebook and balled it up. I took aim, then tossed it at Ponyboy and it hit the side of his head. He looked up and glared in my direction, but softened up when he saw that it was me.

"Pay attention, Chicken, class is starting now," I told him.

Later in the period, the teacher gave me a textbook. I took one look at it and whispered to Ponyboy,"This thing is huge!" Then, after coming up with a grand thought, added,"I wonder how far I can throw it?"

"Don't," Ponyboy ordered."You'll kill someone."

"Has that ever stopped me before?" I asked. Then I giggled at the terrified look on his face, but he softened up once again when he realized it was a joke.

"What are you doing this afternoon, Pony?" I asked him as we began to walk home. Even if Sodapop and Darry didn't go to school, we still had a large group of friends at school. There was me, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Steve, and, ever since I showed up, Ana.

"It's my turn to make dinner," he shrugged.

"What'cha makin'?" Ana asked.

"Chicken."

"Cannibal," I pointed at him teasingly. He just rolled his eyes, but I could see his smile.


	5. Chapter 5

A few weeks later, on Christmas Eve, I was playing a board game with Emma. She was a stubborn thing, and always insists on having her way. Believe me when I say she WILL get her way. She constantly needed to be entertained. During the day, Aunt Shirley and me and Two-Bit took turns randomly with no pattern whatsoever. We watched her based in who was home at the time. It was usually me.

The TV was on and West Side Story was playing. It was in no way a Christmas movie, and I was outraged that the TV people were showing it instead of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or something. West Side Story was part way through, and I was debating whether or not to turn it off. I mean, that movie gets pretty intense during the Rumble, and Emma is still a little kid. I had come to the conclusion to turn it off, but denied that thought when my favorite song came on: "America".

As Emma rolled the dice, I began to hum along, but couldn't contain myself and burst into song. Emma tried her best to sing, too, but obviously didn't know the words at all. I tapped the coffee table with my finger tips to the beat and grinned when Emma realized she at least could do that instead of attempt to sing the song that took months for me to master.

The song ended and Emma laughed with glee and joy. I heard applause from behind us. I turned and saw Two-Bit."Great pipes, there, Cous'," he complemented."And you!" He reached over to Emma and picked her up in his arms with ease and had her sit on his shoulders."Great finger-drumming! You had me on the edge of my seat!"

"But you were standing up!" Emma protested between fits of giggles. Two-Bit just made a "Tsk, tsk, tsk," sound as he explained his insane reasoning to his sister.

This was the side of Two-Bit I don't think anyone saw, even the gang. The father figure to Emma since their dad cut out on them when she was a baby. Two-Bit took care of Emma, his mom, and now me. It's his more responsible side, the side of him only the people that live under the same roof as him get to enjoy.

"Dinner time, kids!" Aunt Shirley called out. Then we all filed into the kitchen, singing,"Jingle bells".

Later that night, Two-Bit was tucking Emma in for the night while Aunt Shirley and I sat and relaxed in the living room. West Side Story had ended and Rudolph had FINALLY come on. Two-Bit collapsed on the couch next to me, nearly crushing me and forcing me to scoot over a little. His mom chuckled at us.

I liked the fatherly side if Two-Bit. It made me feel more at home, more like part of the family. Why am I such a misfit? I liked how young and innocent Emma is, much more so then me. Why am I such a misfit?

"You can't fire me! I quit!" The three of us chanted.

We all laughed at how much we were in sync. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night, I thought silently to myself. It wasn't too long until I fell asleep on my cousin's shoulder as the dentist elf proclaimed,"Let's be independent together!"

When I woke up, Two-Bit was asleep on the couch too, and at some point in the night, Emma had come out of our room to look for Santa Claus and had fallen asleep sprawled across Two-Bit and my's laps. Aunt Shirley was reading a novel in the arm chair. I smiled before spotting the tree. Duh! I scolded myself internally. It's Christmas, of course we get presents!

"Guys!" I shook my two cousins awake."Wake up! It's Christmas!" Emma woke up in an instant and squealed with delight. Two-Bit woke up groggily, and muttered stuff to himself. I gripped his arm and bounced up and down in excitement and he realized what was going on and joined in the festivities.


	6. Chapter 6

**In school yesterday, my English class was going to watch The Outsiders. My teacher said to come dressed as a greaser or a soc. The person with the best costume will get a prize. Can you guess who went all out and won first place? Me! I made Sodapop's DX uniform by painting the logo on pieces of felt and sticking them to a shirt and a hat. It looked exactly the way it did in the movie! It was the best English class ever!**

It was a bright Friday afternoon in March, the break in the freezing weather that everyone has been hoping for. It was also a quiet day, which was a rarity- no boys. Ana and I were sitting in the lot. She had come home with me and since it was a nice day, we moved outside to the grassy field.

The homework for the weekend was read to read lessons 28-30 in my science textbook. I had brought the book outside with me and was suffering through all the scientific words."Mira, stop getting distracted. The sooner you finish reading the sooner we can do something fun," Ana reminded me for the thousandth time. Always the scholar, Ana.

"I'm reading, I'm reading," I mumbled. Then I remembered something."How far do you think I could throw this?"

"The book? I have no idea, the thing is huge. And... Why would you want to throw it anyway?" Ana pointed out.

"... To see how far I can throw it," I concluded after a moment of thinking. Then I stood up, hefted the thing above my head, and over hand threw it as far as I could. It went about six feet, not very impressive.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Ana scolded me in her "professor" voice (Slightly British, slightly American, a few tones deeper, and completely snobbish, if you wanted to know what that sounded like.)."You have to throw it like a discus."

"How would you know how to throw a discus? Girls aren't allowed to do Track & Field."

"My brother ran track. I remember watching the field events, though. Including the discus." Ana lifted up the book and planted her feet on the ground. Then she twirled with her arms far in front of her, holding the book, and let go, launching the book very, very, far.

Unfortunately, it landed in the street and almost hit a car. Three boys, maybe a few years older then us got out of the car and picked up the book. Please don't take it with you, please don't take it with you, I thought. That's school property that I would have to pay for if it got lost. They were talking and glancing over at us. Then they sauntered over to us.

The one holding the book dropped it in the dirt at our feet and said,"You almost hit our car."

"But we didn't," Ana said hopefully."We really are sorry."

"Yeah you're going to be-"

"Don't you dare lay a hand in us!" I shouted.

"It's just a car! A car we didn't even hit!" Ana added.

"Yeah, well, we're not big fans of you."

"What did we do? We don't even know you!" Ana said.

"What you did was wear that hair ribbon," he pointed at the yellow hair ribbon plaited in Ana's hair. She was wearing it to show that she had someone, or in her case, two people, in the war.

"So? You're antiwar! So am I! But I'm not going to let my family out there in that wild jungle think I've forgotten about them!" Ana explained.

"They volunteer? Or get a draft?" He glared down at her.

"None of your business!" She snapped.

"With all this Title IX stuff going around, girls feel like they're all that. Hate to tell you, but boys are still on top. Get 'em guys!" And it was all downhill from there.

One guy grabbed Ana, another snatched me, and the leader looked at us and pulled out... Dun! Dun! Dun!.. A switchblade. He smirked and held it out in front of him, pointed at Ana. She was standing completely still in Henchman #1's grasp, but her eyes wandered, desperately searching for a way out. I can't let him hurt her. "Hey, Stupid! You coward! Holding us back! If we're "Just girls", then let us go and fight us, fist to face?"

He looked over at me."I don't like your tone, Girly," he said. Henchman #2 tightened his grip on me. The leader sashayed towards me and stopped with the tip of his blade brushed against my collarbone."Hmm, no pretty chains on your neck for me to steal..." He made a scratch across my skin. I couldn't see it, but I knew I was bleeding a little. His hand grabbed one of mine. As he did so, the cut on my collar began to burn and sting. Why? It was just a scratch. Why does it hurt more then it should?"... And no pretty rings," he continued. He made small cuts on all my fingers where a ring would've been if I had been wearing one. It wasn't long before those cuts began to sting too. "... And this bracelet?"

He removed my bracelet from my wrist, it was a silver chain with studs of sea glass stuck on it. I had made it with the help of my parents. It was one of my most prized possessions. If I had lost it in California, then I'd just gather more sea glass at the beach and make another, but I don't live in California anymore. When that bracelet goes, it's gone forever.

"Worthless," he sneered, but stuck it in his pocket anyway! Then he made a cut on my wrist, like he'd done to my fingers and collar bone. The stinging sensation repeated itself.

I heard a "Thump" from behind me. Ana and Henchman #1 were behind me... Either Ana managed to get him away from her, or he knocked her to the ground like the leader did to my book.

The leader's eyes flickered to watch what was going on behind me, and his eyes went wide. Then a fist sailed right into his face knocking him back away from me. Ana came into view and pushed the leader backwards into the dirt and placed her foot firmly on his chest as if she were one of those hunters showing off their kill. "You don't want me wearing this ribbon? Fine. Take it!" She growled and dropped the ribbon and it fluttered and landed spread across his face.

I felt Henchman #2's grip go slack and took this opportunity to break free. I dug my elbows into his stomach and slipped away easily as he gasped in pain. I took my foot and nailed him in the shin as hard as I could. He looked like a clown as he hopped from one foot to the other. I almost laughed. Almost.

I looked back and saw Henchman #1 holding Ana back again and she was struggling to find an area of escape again. She gave up on the calm approach and began to do everything in her power to break free. I was about to go over and help, but Henchman #2 grabbed me by the hair and forced me onto the ground. I started to get up but the leader stated,"Both of you stop moving before I make you hold still myself... Permanently." We both stopped struggling. We made eye contact and came to the silent agreement to listen to what they say until we find a way out of this predicament.

It wasn't five seconds later before there was shouting and the thundering of people running. Ana and I couldn't help but grin- It was the gang. Steve got the guy off of Ana and took care of him, Two-Bit handled the guy standing over me, the leader was left with Darry(Poor bloke didn't know what hit him, but he had it coming.), Sodapop helped Steve, and Ponyboy knelt down next to me and helped me sit up. When I did, the burning in the cuts was at it's peak.

The three filthy jerks sprinted to their car. The gang recouped and then turned their attention to Ana and me. Ponyboy was looking at the cuts with a confused and concerned look on his face. Sodapop was holding Ana in a tight hug while Steve stood off to the side, probably asking her questions. I'd never seen Two-Bit as angry as he was right then. Darry was kneeling near me too.

"The metal," Ana said suddenly."The metal in the blade, Mira? Your allergic to it, like you are to the metal in some types of jewelry." I nodded in understanding. Now I know why it hurts so much."You need to clean your cuts."

Ponyboy helped me stand up and all of us headed to the Curtis house. What a way to end such a beautiful day. Darry and Two-Bit cleaned my cuts as soon as we arrived. The stinging of the peroxide brought tears to my eyes. When was the last time I cried? I can't remember, but I feel like I should cry right now. This feeling allowed more tears to fall and I was glad to let it all out. Ponyboy stood off to the side, watching. I couldn't tell if he was shocked or sympathetic. It must be weird to watch someone you see as tough cry and break down, especially for him. He has had bad luck with tough friends who break, I'm told. Darry took a box of band aids from the cupboard, but Ponyboy said,"Hey, Darry? Can I do the rest?" Darry nodded, handed him the band aids, and he left me alone with just Ponyboy and Two-Bit. Ponyboy began to patch me up.

Two-Bit started to talk,"What exactly happened out there Mira? Do you have any idea how bad it could've gotten if we hadn't shown up?"

I took a deep breath,"I can imagine. I didn't mean for that to happen! I don't want you to yell at me, Keith Mathews! I just want you to be my family, the guy Emma and I get the pleasure of being with at home when it's just us. Can you do that for me?"

Two-Bit looked me in the eye."I can try," he said.

"It's not like she and Ana are completely helpless. Did you see the bruises on Ana's knuckles?" Ponyboy piped up to brighten the mood.

Two-Bit laughed and I joined in the joking by saying,"You guys should've seen the hit! It was like she was possessed by the Batman!"

On Monday, I was sitting in Science class. I was stressing out."You okay, Mira?" Ponyboy asked me.

"I never went back to get my book," I said.

"That's alright," he assured me."We can share my book."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello. Yes, I'm alive. I would've posted more chapters, but I was on vacation. I kept thinking,"Oh, I'll post later." And then I said that again... Later. But I'm here now! Here's chapter 7!**

I was working at the store after school and it was completely empty, Ana hadn't even shown up yet. A girl about eighteen or nineteen years old walked in the door, holding a baby. She had blonde hair and blue eyes."Excuse me?" She said."Do you have any children's music?"

"We have Disney music and musical theatre songs, if that's what you're looking for?" I offered.

"That sounds lovely," she smiled.

I showed her the shelves with the music she was looking for and pulled some off to show her. Then I heard the bell that hung above the front door jingle."I'll be right back, Ma'm," I said.

I headed towards the entrance, which involved a ton of twists and turns. With all the shelves and stacks of records and split level flooring, it was like a maze in that store. Ana was at the entrance."Sorry I'm late," she said."My sister asked me for a ride home at the last minute.

"No biggy," I assured her."The only person here is a girl about your age looking at the Disney records-"

"Oh! Will you let me help her? Please? Please? Please? Please?" Ana begged. She loved Disney, like, really, really loved Disney. We both loved it more then teenage girls should, but Ana was obsessed.

"Sure," I shrugged as Ana skipped off to attend to the customer. I followed, just to see if Ana would scare her off with her massive span of Disney trivia. Little did I know was that Ana would do more then scare her.

Ana's POV

I prance through the maze of shelves with complete joy. A girl my age who loved Disney? I'd like to see someone try and hold me back. I decided to have a little fun with this girl. I snuck around the shelf she was looking at and brushed the records that were blocking her from my view so that we were looking at each other between the shelves.

"Hello, finding everything okay?" I asked. She jumped back, startled and hugged the baby she was holding close to her. We made eye contact and her eyes were filled with so much hatred, if I had a dollar every time she glared at me like that.

"You!" She growled.

"Me!" I replied, mimicking her."Hello, Sandy." Mira gasped from where she had been eavesdropping. I had told her all about Sandy. I walked around the shelf so that I had a clear view of Sandy.

"You did this to me," Sandy whined, trying to make me feel sorry for her.

"No, you did it to yourself," I corrected her."What's the baby's name?"

"I'm not telling you! You ruined my life! The only joy in my life is Sarah-"

"So that's her name!" I interrupted her."Hello, Baby Sarah!"

"How are you so chill?" Sandy asked of me."We both know I hate you and you were jealous of me and Sodapop so you went and did everything in your power to mess my life up!"

I could've laughed."That's what you think? Are you serious? Sodapop never liked me like that until you broke his heart and you left him. He wanted to marry you, for crying out loud!"

"Don't bring that little piece of dirt into this, this whole thing is your fault! You were jealous, admit it!" Sandy was shouting now.

"I'm not the jealous type," I replied coolly."Now, if you'd like to buy a record..."

"I'm not taking anything that you have to offer!" Then Sandy stormed off, hopefully forever this time.

Mira ran up to me saying,"I'm so sorry! If I had known who she was I wouldn't have helped her! I mean, she seemed so nice..."

"She is a nice girl," I said."She just doesn't know how to control her emotions."

"Like you do?"

"Huh?"

"Sandy was all in your face and then you just said,"I'm not the jealous type." Your emotions are under so much control."

"Except from when I talk about, hear about, or watch anything Disney related," I said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood."Or The Sound of Music... Or West Side Story... And don't forget Tom Sawyer!"

"Your favorite book," Mira sighed."Of course. Don't you even start..."

I laughed and said,"Let's get back to work. This store won't clean itself."

"Unless you have a Sorcerer's Hat and a broom," Mira said slyly. I smiled one of my biggest smiles at this Fantasia reference. Sandy can't keep me down in the dumps anymore, that's for sure.

 **Hear me out about this chapter, okay? Parts of this story have some** **That was Then, This is Now** **references. (Example: The school dance mentioned in chapter two and Cathy.) In the book, it's mentioned that a single mom gives Bryon her phone number and I thought,"Hey... What if the single mom is Sandy?!" (When I realized this, I was actually in class so of course I freak out. Guy: "Are you okay?" Me: "Yeah I'm fine, I just realized something." I turn to my friend."It's Outsiders related, tell you later." She rolls her eyes because she was getting a little tired of all my Outsiders talk. I'm sure you have some friends like that, right?)**

 **So... TTFN!**


	8. Chapter 8

Mira's POV

I went to the Curtis house with Two-Bit, as we often do. He was watching Mickey Mouse and I was helping Ponyboy fix his track spikes. By "Help" I meant that I sat and watched while he did the work.

"There's only one track meet left in the season, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied."and we're gonna lose."

"How so? I thought the team was doing good lately."

"We are, but no one wants to run the mile. The other school has three people doing it and if someone from our squad doesn't sign up to do it, we'd lose, no doubt about it."

I got another one of my ideas, which you know is a bad thing."What if you run the mile?"

"I'm no good at long distance," he said as he tightened a spike on his shoe.

"No, not really you. I'm saying that you put your name down for the mile and then someone else who's not on the team will run in your place. All they need is to wear your spare jersey so they'll know which school they're running for and hideout until the race starts. Simple, really," I explained.

"Who'd run in my place?" I just grinned."No. No, Mira. Girl's aren't allowed on the team!"

"Which is why I'm running in your place and not signing up myself."

I was sitting in the bleachers watching the track meet with Two-Bit. Well, I was watching. He was flirting with girls. Blonde girls, to be exact. I rolled my eyes and listened as a coach yelled into a mega phone that the mile would start in a few minutes. I got up and made my way to the field.

Ponyboy was waiting in the shadows of the tool shed. I walked over to him. I took off my jacket, revealing the spare jersey I was wearing. Ponyboy hated this idea, but I was going to run this race. Girls can do anything boys can, but better.

My three opponents were at the starting line. I was waiting until the last second to run over there to get to my place. The coach held the gun thing in the air and said,"Runners, on your mark..." I got to my place right before it went off. I ran with all the power in me. I could hear people either shouting in outrage or murmuring in disbelief. A girl? Running a mile? And winning? Oh yeah, oh yeah to all those questions.

Four laps equal a mile and I finished my fourth as the three boys were still half a lap behind me. I stopped and looked to the crowd. They just stared back. I simply waved and walked off the track. Some people clapped, others shouted at the coaches to do something.

Now it's time for the next phase of the plan: hide until the meet is over and hope Ponyboy manages to make sure the score I got counted and wasn't discarded. That's the whole point I ran, right? To help the team out... And to show them what a girl can really do, of course.

I had nothing to worry about. My score counted and no one ever figured out who the mystery runner was.


	9. Chapter 9

Worst. Day. Ever. One of the worst, actually. Nothing can match up with when my parents died, but this was pretty darn close. Ana and I took Chet's offer and worked at the music store. That started in December and now it's June. Ana and me went to the store after school like we always do, but there was a cop car out front. We rushed inside and the cop looked at us and said,"Do you girls know the man that lived in the loft above this store?" We nodded."I'm sorry to inform you that he passed during the night. The medics think he had a heart attack. He's gone." He gave us a moment to let it sink in, Ana held onto me to steady herself."You girls can head home, please."

"Yes sir," we replied and left. The first thing we did was go to the DX to tell Sodapop.

A few days later, Ana was informed that Chet had left the store to her. Everything else he had was sent to his grandson all the way in Maine, but the store was hers. Ana didn't know what to think. She was touched, honored really, that of anyone he could've chosen, Chet chose to give the store to her.

Ana wasn't even out of school yet, her graduation was set for another week ahead. She was eighteen, a legal adult, so she could have the store if she wished. And she did want the store.

"I'm assuming I still have a job?" I asked her after she signed all the papers that made the store officially hers.

"Why would think otherwise? I get to boss you around all I want now!" She teased me.

"You act like you don't already," I replied automatically.

A couple of weeks later, I was sitting in my front yard reading a book. Ponyboy was walking by."Hey, Chicken! Where you off to?" I called.

"Darry sending me to the store to pick some stuff up," he replied.

"Can I come?" I asked.

"Sure, but it won't be much fun," he warned me.

"Whatever. I'm not doing anything else."

Ponyboy and I were reeking havoc in the store. I was about to turn down an aisle but saw Cathy, the girl Pony liked, shopping. I turned around and grabbed Ponyboy by the sleeve of his shirt."Look who's here," I told him.

He cocked an eyebrow but looked around the corner anyway. I saw his face redden a little as he turned to face me."C'mon. We got everything, let's go," he said quietly.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I blocked him from walking away."Go ask her out."

"But she's Bryon's girlfriend," he reminded me.

"No, she broke up with him after the whole thing with that guy, Mark," I told him."How did you not hear about that?"

"How did you hear about it?"

"Girls hear about everything, don't take it personally," I told him."Now go!"

I shoved him down the aisle. He stumbled a little and crashed into her, making her drop her groceries. I cringed from where I was watching."I'm so sorry!" Ponyboy said instantly, bending over to pick them for her.

"Thank you, Ponyboy," Cathy said.

"So, uh," Ponyboy stuttered. Ugh, what a chicken."Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"Love to. Does Saturday afternoon work?" She said with a smile.

"Yeah. Yeah! Totally! I'll pick you up at four."

I did a little happy dance. I can't believe how long it took for Chicken to finally ask Cathy out. As I danced, I may or may not have accidentally knocked some cereal boxes off the shelves.

Ponyboy came running over to me with the biggest smile on his face."She said yes!"

"I know!" I began to skip to the checkout line singing,"Chicken and Cathy, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-"

"Shut up!" Ponyboy snapped at me.

"...N-G!" I finished."You're not the boss of me!" Then I sang the next verse, making sure to get Ponyboy's ears as red as a bell pepper.


	10. Chapter 10

"Maybe we should just wait for your mom to get back," I suggested to Two-Bit."She knows how to do this."

"We'll be fine. And she's working late tonight, remember? Besides, what man of the house can't grill?" Two-Bit asked nonchalantly as he turned the grill on.

"The one that's never touched a grill before because he sits on his lazy butt watching Mickey Mouse," I retorted.

"Girls find that cute," he nodded curtly in my direction.

"Yeah, until you burn their house down," I muttered under my breath.

"Heard that!" He called over his shoulder."And that happened only one time! And it wasn't the whole house! Just the back porch!"

"I don't know what's harder to believe: That girls still want to go out with you, or that you're still alive." He just waved me off.

"Hey, Emma," I greeted my young cousin. She was sitting in the grass while playing with her doll."What number do you call in case of an emergency?"

"911," Emma replied brightly.

"And if you're clothes catch on fire?"

"Stop, drop, and roll."

"And if you get a minor burn?"

"Run it under cold water. Why?"

"Your brother's cooking, that's why," I winked at her. Tomorrow was the first day of school and Two-Bit wanted to make the last night of summer vacation special for us. I reminisced this summer. I spent a lot of time with my friends and family. I hadn't seen much of Chicken because he was always out with "Daisy Duck", as I liked to call Cathy(Ponyboy's a chicken and Cathy's a duck, get it?). We still talked a lot, but no time actually hanging around or going places like we used to.

Two-Bit ended up burning the food he was grilling, but at least there was no fire. Thankfully, he makes a great peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich. He always adds something to spice it up a little, too. Then me and Emma have to guess what it is. This time it was garlic salt.

After dinner, the three of us played cards. I wanted to play Crazy 8s, Emma wanted to play Go Fish, and Two-Bit vouched for Poker. His solution was to combine all three games. At first, I was skeptical, but it turned out to be tons of fun.

Then, Two-Bit and I tucked Emma in for bed and read her a story. She wanted to hear Smoky The Cowhorse, Two-Bit wanted to read her The Lorax, and I was all for reading a part of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Two-Bit's solution, once again, was to combine all three. I had thought, This oughta be good, as he began his tale of The Lorax, The Cowhorse, and The Wardrobe. It was the funniest story I'd ever heard and afterwards, Emma couldn't sleep. If anything, The Lorax, The Cowhorse, and The Wardrobe woke her up even more. It was my turn to solve an insane problem that night, so I read aloud from a cookbook until Emma fell asleep.

Then I did the dishes while Two-Bit sat at the kitchen table with his feet up, giggling at the bedtime story he had created. He thought it was dream come true and I thought I was going to have nightmares about Edmund's encounter with the frozen Once-ler in the Cowhorse's ice lair.

Finally, the time came for me to go to bed too. I graciously flopped my rag-doll body across the covers and buried my head in the pillows and hugged my baby blanket with a massive hole in the middle to my chest. I almost fell asleep instantly, but Two-Bit chose that time to walk by the open bedroom door and whisper,"For Narnia!" I was tempted to throw a pillow at him, but was too tired. Instead, I hissed,"Be quiet!" right before falling into a, surprisingly, nightmare-less sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here it is: the last chapter. There will be yet another installment in this series titled, Love Is: Seals and Sea Glass. Yes, another odd title, but like this one, it will make sense as the story goes. Keep an eye out for it!**

 **Ponysgirlfriend: I absolutely adored your suggestion but this chapter was already finished before I read the review. I tried to find a way to work it in but couldn't figure it out.**

Chicken and Bounty Hunter Time is my favorite time of day. With the new school year comes new schedules. Steve had graduated, and Ana, and Two-Bit finally managed to pull through senior year with his "Don't Study, Don't Pay Attention, and Don't Care" attitude. Anywho, Chicken and Bounty Hunter Time is code for "Free Period." Ponyboy and I go out to the courtyard with whatever homework we might have and study together. We also talk. Now that I think about it, we mostly talk instead of study.

It was during Chicken and Bounty Hunter Time one fall day that Ponyboy was stressing about how frustrated he was with Daisy Duck-Whoops! I meant Cathy."...I've just about had it with her!"

"Why don't just break up with her?" I asked simply.

"Yeah, I'll just break her heart so that her fifty brothers can all come after me in my sleep!" He groaned.

"You're exaggerating," I said.

He cocked an eyebrow,"Am I?"

"Erm... No. Well, what's the problem? Maybe you can fix it," I suggested.

"All she does is talk about herself, and not in a conceited way! If she were conceited, it would be easier for me to ditch her, but I'm not that lucky," he began his rant. I hope free period is long enough for me to hear the whole thing."I think that she doesn't realize that other people have it rough, too! She's so needy! She constantly needs someone to comfort her, to assure her, to tell her she's beautiful and a bunch of other meaningless topics! Why can't girls be tough? Know how to take care of themselves? Be confident? Be like you?"

"Well, it takes a whole lot to achieve my level," I teased him. By the look on his face, I knew that it wasn't a good time to joke around. I sighed,"Here's what I think. Cathy lied to you when you first asked her out saying she had plans but really didn't. You still liked her for nearly a year after that. I think you should give her another chance to see if the spark's still there. Take her to the dance on Friday night And if you're too chicken to go with her, then I'll go and keep an eye on you from a safe distance. Got it, Chicken?"

"Got it, thanks for the advice," he said. The bell rang. I guess free period was just long enough for a rant about a clingy girlfriend.

I went to the dance early while Ponyboy went to get Cathy. I was scouting the area, there were plenty of good hiding places for me. Something deep inside me told me that this was going to be the best school dance ever. People started arriving and soon the gym was packed full of teenagers. I hid behind a bouquet of balloons near the entrance, waiting to catch a glimpse of Chicken and Daisy Duck.

Ponyboy entered, he was cleaned up a little more then usual, which made sense because he was on a date."Chicken, over here," I beckoned him over, pushing the ribbons of the balloons out of the way so that he could see me. He walked over."Where's Cathy?"

"Right outside the gym, she stopped to talk to some friends..." His voice slowly came to a halt. I didn't blame him. My red, knee length, flowing dress probably clashed horribly with the pink, blue, and green decorations."... You look really nice. You look pretty in red," he said. That was unexpected.

"Thanks, you don't look too shabby, either," I replied when I managed to get ahold of myself."Oh! Gosh! Here she comes!" I hid as Cathy entered in her dark purple dress and grabbed Ponyboy's hand.

I had gotten this feeling of waves crashing over me at the beach when Ponyboy told me I was pretty. I don't know why. I've been called pretty before by my parents, Emma, Two-Bit, Aunt Shirley, Ana, and other people who were close to me. Why was now different?

For about the next hour, I followed them around, but out of sight. Then they were dancing near the wall and talking. I moved into earshot. Just as I had expected, Cathy was doing all the talking. She was blubbering about some nonsense about her home and I survived five minutes of that, but then she crossed the line. She said,"... And this war! Oh my gosh! My parents were seriously considering going to DC to protest there, but decided to stay here and work on petitions. My whole family's against it, actually. In March, two of my brothers came home with a yellow ribbon, decorated to resemble military patches, they'd taken from some girl that was showing her support for the war. I wished that I had been there to see them tell her off."

My feet started moving without me thinking. Soon I was out of hiding and face to face with Cathy. I glanced at Ponyboy and he nodded with a knowing look in his eye. He understood that it had been Cathy's brothers that jumped me and Ana and he was giving me permission to let loose and be the Bounty Hunter I am.

"You wish you could've been there? Are you absolutely serious? Honestly! You and the rest of your family don't understand what is really going on in that war! It's people like you that keep my best friend up at night and that's not okay with me! You wish you could've been there? Well, allow me to show you what you missed." I held my hand and flashed my scars from the knife they'd used on me."This is what you missed! Your brothers took a knife and started to cut me up because I had stuck up for my best friend!" I pointed to the scar on my collar bone."What if this had been you, huh? What if you had been having a good time with your best friend and then some guys show up and beat you up? You're lucky I don't do to you what they did to me!... But I'm not going to. I'm not like your brothers."

Cathy was hiding behind Ponyboy a little, clinging tightly to his arm. Ponyboy took one look at her and pulled himself away from her grasp."I'm sorry, Cathy, but we're done," he said.

Cathy just stared at him in shock."You're breaking up with me because of something my brothers did? What the heck is wrong with you?" She yelled at him.

"No, I'm breaking up with you because I know you, or I thought I did, and you don't know a thing about me. We've been dating for three months, Cathy, and you don't know a single thing about me!"

"But I do!" She whined as tears welled up in her eyes. All this yelling must be getting to her. She must not be used to anyone other then her having an opinion or a life.

"Oh, yeah?" I challenged Cathy."What's his middle name?"

"Darrel?"

"No!" I shouted."That's his oldest brother's name and his late father's name! His middle name is Michael. How did his parents die?"

"Illness?"

"Car wreck. What's his favorite thing to drink?"

"Chocolate milk?"

"Oh, pretty darn close, he loves that too. His favorite is Pepsi. True or false: his mom picked his name."

"True?"

"False, it was his dad. Favorite poem?"

"The Raven?"

"Wrong! Nothing Gold Can Stay. Life's motto?"

"Uh.."

"Stay gold!" I shouted. Then Ponyboy stepped in.

"Look Cathy," he said."I know you're terrible at remembering things, so I'll give you another chance. If you can answer this one question, then I'll forgive you and we can forget about this whole thing. Okay? Okay. Here it is: Who is, and always will be no matter what, my best friend?" I gasped. There was no way she was getting this.

Cathy wiped her eyes and whimpered. Then after thinking about it for nearly a full minute, she pointed at me. Ponyboy shook his head."The answer is..." He looked at me and we finished the statement together."... Johnny Cade."

"But he's dead!" She yelled in protest. I swear, one more disrespectful comment out of her...

"I said "No matter what," didn't I?" Ponyboy replied.

Cathy growled and marched away with her nose in the air. She stopped and looked at me, as if this whole thing was my fault(Don't look at me like that! She started it!). Then she kicked me in the shin and continued on her way. I hopped up and down, repeatedly saying,"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"You've been hurt worse then that before," Ponyboy said with a chuckle.

"Yes, but she was wearing heels," I explained. Ponyboy just nodded.

"So, uh," he said awkwardly."You really let loose there, huh?"

"Only because you gave me permission to," I said.

My favorite song came on, Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles. I smiled."We're here anyway," Ponyboy said."Want to dance?" I immediately said yes and dragged him away from the wall so we could dance the way one should when one would hear their favorite song.

Later that night, as we were walking home in the dark, Ponyboy did a lot of talking. I just listened, he deserved the opportunity to talk after listening to Cathy for three straight months. He started saying things like,"What a waste of three months. I wonder what I'd do if I could do the whole thing over again? I think I know: Spend more time with you other then free period. Maybe if I did that I'd realize how great you are without you having to go all Bounty Hunter on some poor girl."

"Poor isn't the way I'd describe her..." I said.

"What if it had been you, Mira?"

"Hm?" He better not be taking Cathy's side after what just happened.

"What if it had been you that I wanted to go out with instead of Cathy? What if I had asked you on a date instead of her?"

My mouth was agape in shock. Where was Ponyboy going with this?"I would've said yes," I decided on the spot. Where was I going with this?

"What if I asked you out now?" He asked shyly, digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt."I've sorta liked you for about a month now, you know?"

"Same answer as before," I replied."Yes." I was going out with Ponyboy, that was where I was going with this.


End file.
